Lewis JennerM.Ost., FAFS, Reg Osteopath MONZ ​​Lewis graduated from the British School of Osteopathy, the biggest and oldest osteopathic school in Europe. Before training to be an osteopath, he had a successful career in engineering. Lewis is the only osteopath in New Zealand to have completed the prestigious GIFT program, at the Gray Institute (USA), working with some of the world's leading experts in rehabilitation. He is also a certified Nike Golf Performance Specialstandworks with golfers to prevent and rehabilitate injuries and also improve their power, strength, flexibility and balance. By combining osteopathy with principles from the GIFT program, Lewis can perform functional movement based assessments and treatments, which can be tailored to the patients relevant sport or activity. Lewis has a particular interest in treating injuries relating to running, golf and racquet sports, although his approach is effective for anybody that moves.Lewis’ philosophy is about helping patients get better, quicker, so that they can overcome pain, feel like themselves again and get back to doing what they love to do. He also educates patients in how to self-manage their complaints using personalised exercise prescription and ergonomic adviceLewis moved to Wellington from the UK, with his Kiwi wife and their two young boys

People around fifty years of age or earlier will usually notice their joints getting stiffer and muscles tighter.

As a Registered Osteopath, I hear this a lot in practice, “Oh it's just getting older” is usually the phrase. However have you stopped to think if that is really the case? It is true that our tissues lose some elasticity with the reduction in collagen as we head beyond fifty, however research has shown it is a case of “use it or lose it” rather than the passing years that determines how mobile we are as we get older.

Movement is crucial for ‘oiling’ our joints with synovial fluid and improving the blood supply carrying nutrients and oxygen to every one of our nine trillion cells in our body.

Here are the top seven points for keeping mobile as we age:

Develop a daily routine of gentle stretches - this can be a short as five minutes but needs to be done daily. Once you start, be determined to continue each day for the whole week, then add another week till you get to 3 or 4 weeks and then decide if it is helpful to you. Not missing a day means you can never go through being stiff and sore again!​​

Time your stretches for the same time each day, at a time that works for you. People often find either first thing before breakfast, or when first home from work or just before bed are the best times in their busy schedule. I could say that “you wouldn't miss brushing your teeth for a day so think of your mobility exercise like that and don't miss a day!”

Start gently and slowly build up. Some days you may only manage a couple of minutes and do your favourites, but at least you have not missed a day. Over time you might start to enjoy them so much you go to ten minutes or even twenty minutes on the weekend and really feel the benefits. Adding in a weekly class in Pilates or yoga with a qualified and experienced teacher is also very beneficial to support the daily practice and correct any technique issues you may have.

If you are not sure what exercises to start with, ask one of our Reg. Osteopaths, we are experts in anatomy, physiology and suitable exercises. Also if we have treated you, we are pretty clued up about what will be best for your body too!

Walking is usually a good way to get moving and within most people's ability. Try to walk on natural ground, that is surfaces that have some 'interest' to them rather then just flat pavements. Using minimalist footwear can really help improve the amount of proprioceptive feedback your central nervous system gets from your feet and legs which can be very helpful in reducing some forms of back pain.

Ideally get your partner, friends or whole family joining in! If you can encourage each other, this will help you keep going. Also the whole family and your friends benefit, with better posture and mood (think blood to brain and more exercise induced endorphins).

Add some balance exercises in there, this can be as simple as standing on one foot as you brush your teeth. Right foot for the top teeth, left foot for the bottom teeth. Falls are what can really set a person back when they are getting older, its the fall and break a hip which may be the injury never quite recovered from.

(PS: If you have already fallen then you don't need a doctors referral to come see one of our osteopaths. We can help you fill out the ACC forms in our clinic. We are able get you back on your feet in the nicest possible way then give you some suitable exercises to help prevent recurrence and to improve your overall wellness and mobility).

Finally, I can report this works, not just from research but from my experience, having just completed nearly five years of daily mobility and strengthening exercises without missing a day. I feel SO good with this daily routine. I found by committing to it and waking a bit earlier I have been able to fit it into each day, while working full-time as an Registered Osteopath and small business owner and being mum to two primary school age children.

"If you can allocate the small amount of time and make a commitment to yourself to do it daily, I promise you that keeping mobile as you age, IS possible!"

​This short video is very relevant considering the high rate of back pain, 60-80% of the general population will suffer back pain at some time in their lives. The incidence is highest in the 45-54 years old age group.

Would you like to know more about the causes of back pain?

Things that contribute to the likelyhood of back pain are: Poor health and nutritionIncreasing AgeMarked scoliosisReduced fitnessLoss of hamstring flexibilitySmokingPsychological problems including Tension, Stress, Anxiety, Fear, Resentment and DepressionDrug abuseHeadachesNeck painLeg discomfortStomach painsObesityPoor quality of sleepExcessive sittingPregnancy and caring for small children

For LBP in children (incidence 20-50%)Too much TVCompetitive sportsLoss of hamstring flexibilityBirth strains and congenital anomalies which are problems a baby may be born withFailure to receive appropriate treatment in growing years.

There are often many causes for the pain in your back and Osteopaths are even better trained than most medical doctors to figure out what has gone wrong, give you advice and treat appropriately so that most of the time your pain goes away quickly and you can avoid long term back pain, injections or surgery.

Osteopaths study for five years full-time at university to become very much a doctor of the musculoskeletal system. We study anatomy in great detail, along with physiology which is about how the body functions. We are trained to take a medical history, perform physical and osteopathic examination, appropriate orthopaedic and neurological tests and refer for x-rays to help us come up with a list of possible causes for your problem. Its always preferable when the cause of your pain is something we can treat and that is the case most of the time. When the cause is something else, we refer appropriately.

All our practitioners are trained to look for the CAUSE of the problem and fix that rather than recommend long term use of pain killers or antinflammatories to mask the pain which left untreated, has a tendency to get worse.

Why is it called Osteopathy? Well Dr AT Still who discovered osteopathy in the late 1800's in America said "You start with the bones". But its only a start and osteopaths look not only at your bones but muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia, nerves, arteries, lymphatics and viscera. We look at your posture, your body type and your illness and accident history. We basically check you out from top to toe!

Example of a short lever manipulation of the lumbar spine

How do we fix things? Well, osteopaths have a wide range of technique approaches from the very gentle such as cranial which can be used on a new born baby, through functional, fascial, balanced ligamentous tension, muscle energy technique, GOT, and short lever manipulation. Osteopaths are known for their gentle approach, using only as much force as necessary to achieve a result. In a hip, knee or foot problem the cause may be coming from the muscles, ligaments, bones or discs of the back and once the nerve and blood supply are improved, the hip, knee or foot are healthy and pain free again. So often I hear "Oh it's just me getting old" (they are 45!) our treatment works wonders by getting the body functioning as its designed to.

Cranial osteopathy is very useful in trauma, for example where a fall has sprained the ligaments of the back and normal movement and exercise have been limited for many years due to pain, a skilled osteopath is able to gently remove the strain and help restore normal function. Its not uncommon to treat an injury that has been there many years and back and hip discomfort ease away.

If you have had an accident within the last year, there is no need to see your doctor, our Reg. Osteopaths can put you on ACC to cover treatment for osteopathy and also for acupuncture. ACC data from 2001-2017 covering around a half a million claims, shows that Osteopathy gets people better in half the number of treatments compared to Physiotherapists or Chiropractors. The average number of treatments required is 3 for Osteopaths vs 5-6 for Physios and Chiropractors.

Everyone's back problem is unique and will require a unique solution. That is why we have many skilled practitioners, with over 100 years combined clinical experience, all working together at City Osteopaths. We work with you to educate you about the CAUSE of your back pain and what you can do to help get yourself pain free and stay that way. We want to help you quickly back to health so you can get back to enjoying life, with long lasting results.

OOS/ Occupation Overuse Syndrome or RSI/Repetitive Strain Injury seem to be one of the plagues of the 21st century; with office workers spending even more time behind desks, computer screens, in office chairs and utilising a mouse. Studies show we are spending up to 8 hours a day in this kind of environment and unfortunately the body 'evolutionary wise' hasn't caught up!

​That pain, tingling/ numbness, burning sensation or loss of strength is a sign your forearms, wrists, hands, joints are not recovering from the load they're having put on them; chronic fine muscle movements such as that of a computer mouse, wreak havoc on small muscle groups and tendons. This unfortunately tends to lead to another condition: chronic inflammation. The inflammatory response is crucial for the body’s survival and repair with acute injury, however when it becomes persistent and chronic, this beneficial role reverses and it actually starts to do damage.

​Acupuncture can provide some much needed relief from the constant discomfort of OOS/RSI. This is achieved through stimulating the afferent nerve fibres in the tight restricted forearms, which makes them relax and release some of the tension.Then the increase in fluid circulation, stimulated by an Acupuncture needle, works as a natural anti-inflammatory, assisting in breaking the cycle of chronic inflammation and lessening the destructive effect it has on tissues. The end result is more mobility and most importantly, a reduction in pain. This results in muscles becoming healthy and being able to open a jar or lift the kettle. Body movements which were difficult or painful become achievable again!

This picture is of Man Kaur, from India. In April she won the 100m at the World Masters Games in Auckland, 101 years young. The purpose of this article is to educate, promote quality therapy, but most importantly to inspire activity and quality movement.

EducateThere is one aspect of life that all of us will go through which is ageing. Whether we like it or not we will all physically deteriorate with age. But what can we do about it? Sit back and accept fate with declining health, or be proactive in maintaining the strength and mobility we have…'I've got creaky knees, my back is a bit stiff, reaching down to put my shoes on is so hard … it must be old age'. As a practitioner, I've heard them all. It's the age old excuse. Some of these complaints are justified, but many of the clients I have come across in both the gym and massage therapy setting will reluctantly admit they just haven't prioritised being active enough. The old adage 'use it or lose it', remains very true. Strength and joint mobility will decrease with age, they will also deteriorate through lack of use. Moving joints can help to increase synovial fluid to the joint capsule and this will keep the joint moving smoothly. Movement will also help the surrounding soft tissues remain both strong and flexible. This is why we need to feel the urge to stretch when we get out of bed, or standing up from prolonged sitting. The soft tissues in our body adapt to a particular position, the stretching is our body trying to prepare these soft tissues for movement.

Staying mobile and strong is important for more than just being able to tie your shoes and get up the stairs. Being active is linked with decrease chances of mortality. The study by Brito et. al. (2012) assessed 2002 adults aged 51-80 on their ability to move from standing to sitting on the floor and back up to standing again. The people who could stand and sit with ease lived longer. The test can be found here http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2047487312471759This test is not 100% accurate in telling you when you will die. There are many factors involved in how long you shall live. But the theme of being stronger and more mobile leading to living longer is what I and the authors are trying to emphasise. If you can move better, you are more independent, you are also more likely to exercise. This can help decrease cardiac risk factors, as well as help maintain a healthy weight, which will further reduce many mortality factors. There are other factors that will limit your performance in a sit to stand test such as lower limb joint replacement, arthritis, neurological disease, other joint surgeries may also limit your joint range making sitting on the floor difficult. So don't panic if you have co-morbidities that will cause you to score poorly in a test like this.

Promote quality therapy“I'm stiff, sore and don't move with ease, what should I do about it?”. For many people the answer is simply to move more. Move more often, move for leisure, move for exercise, move to break up the monotony of prolonged sitting. If you want some advice on how to move well I have the training and experience to help instruct you. You may require more strength, more mobility, more balance, or a combination of all three. Understanding your weaknesses is the first step to improvement.

Massage therapy can also play a role in improving movement. Massage can help increase range of motion by releasing tightness in muscle and soft tissue, or minimising the referred pain that tight muscles can cause to a joint. The increased movement around the joint will make it easier to train for strength and balance, this will lead to fewer compensations (such as limping).

Articulation (movement) of the joint will help to keep the fluid of the joint healthy and nourished.

​Regular stretching will also help you stay mobile and injury free. Stretching is more effective when designed specific for your needs. If you need help with this, I am more than happy to shed some light on this complicated and sometimes controversial topic.

InspireMovement is important for all ages, the longer you neglect it, the harder it is to get back. Age should not be a barrier for activity, getting out as part of a team may make it more fun. 28,676 people competed in the World Masters games in Sydney in 2009. The age categories go all the way up to 100 and over age group. If Man Kaur can do it at 101, so can you. That is of course if the threat of increased mortality hasn't already got you out of your chair!